Mountain Top Arboretum Welcomes
New Executive Director

The Board and Staff of the Mountain Top Arboretum are delighted to announce the appointment of Jennifer Hemmerlein as our new Executive Director following a successful 5-month search. 

Jennifer comes to us from The Friends of Clermont State Historic Site in Germantown, where she has been Executive Director for the past 6-1/2 years. During her tenure there, she increased Clermont’s educational and cultural programming, including expanding the Harvesting History program and creating the popular Harmonies on the Hudson Concert Series. She brings some 22 years of broad nonprofit professional experience to the Arboretum, having also worked in development and communications at a variety of organizations, including Camphill Village in Copake; Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways, and the Doane Stuart School. A Catskills resident who is committed to Greene County, she holds a Bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and a Master’s degree from The Ohio State University, both in English. 

"I am honored to join Mountain Top Arboretum as their next Executive Director, building upon the excellent work of Marc Wolf, his team, and the Board of Directors. I am so impressed by the goals outlined in the strategic plan and can't wait to get started implementing those plans. I look forward to working with all of our constituents to advance the mission of such a wonderful, special place." 

Abby Coffin, the Arboretum’s Board Chair, who also chaired the Executive Director Search Committee, expressed her and the Committee’s excitement: “We are so pleased to welcome Jennifer Hemmerlein as our new Executive Director. Throughout her career, Jennifer has demonstrated a passion that aligns with our vision to respect, care for, and be curious about environmental diversity, regional history, and natural beauty. With Jennifer’s experience creating engaging programs and her commitment to education, the environment, and the community, she will be able to guide the Arboretum towards its best and sustainable future.” 

Jennifer’s arrival signals exciting changes at the Arboretum as current Executive Director Marc Wolf transitions into a newly-created role of Director of Horticulture and Environmental Stewardship, returning to his passion for the landscape and fully focusing his expertise on cultivating the Arboretum’s beauty and health. Jennifer and Marc will work in collaboration to advance Mountain Top Arboretum’s mission to conserve, enhance, and celebrate our distinctive Catskill sanctuary through sustainable horticulture, responsible land stewardship, and innovative educational programming. This strong mission and many of the Arboretum’s ambitions are articulated in our recently developed Strategic Plan, which Jennifer will begin implementing as one of her primary responsibilities. We look forward to the all the experience, creativity, and enthusiasm she brings to Mountain Top Arboretum. As Marc Wolf said, “This is the right moment for the Arboretum to make this transition. I am thrilled to welcome Jennifer as our next Executive Director and am excited to work with her in my new role as Director of Horticulture and Environmental Stewardship. This restructuring creates a dedicated, experienced, and passionate team to lead the Arboretum’s ambitious mission.” Jennifer’s and Marc’s work will continue to be supported by our terrific Membership and Office Manager, Cookie Brindle. 

We are grateful to the members of the Search Committee – Bob Kerns, Pierce Sioussat, Meg Waldron, Sydney Frazier, and Jeannette Price – as well as our search consultant, Marci Sternheim, for their dedication of time and effort to get us to this excellent result. 

Jennifer begins her work with us on June 26, and we hope you will stop in and welcome her to our wonderful Arboretum community.